Posted by admin | Posted in Graphic Design | Posted on 14-08-2008
As a designer nothing is more disappointing than showing someone your work, only to have it shot down by someone you show it to! Dealing with the disappointment and frustration that ensues, is often a difficult task, but it can be done.
Ask yourself the following questions:
1. Is this person part of your target audience? If so, you may want to take them seriously. If not, weigh their information carefully, make sure that you don’t allow their opinion to shake a solid design.
2. Is there a personal bias involved? If you have showed them a blue design and this person HATES blue, that doesn’t mean that the design needs to be trashed.
3. Who is the client? If you are just showing your work to a friend or co-worker try to take their thoughts and suggestions with a grain of salt, however, if the client doesn’t like it–remember who’s paying the bills!
4. Can you get a second opinion? Try again, take it to someone who hasn’t seen it, but be careful not to bias them against the piece.
5. Are you willing to hear the truth? Let’s face it, as designers we can’t hit it 100% of the time, though we would like to. Be sure you’re willing to listen to constructive critcism.
It’s a hard thing to lay your ideas out on the table leaving them vulnerable to the people around to criticize, but as a designer that’s life.
Listen, breathe, go forward. That’s what i try to do.Listen to what they don’t like, continue breathing why they say whatever complaint they have (it helps me from turning red as i get frustrated) and then go forward with or without it, but i try not to stay where i’m at, because most likely it will result in self-pity and other ugly things.
There is nothing harder than trying to read someone else’s mind. You have to develop thick skin and know that it is no reflection of your talent if your client doesn’t see things the way you do. Don’t be pressured to hit 100%. Designers work is not an exact science. Very few things are really!